Cubs Announce Minor League Managers, Coaching Staffs and Coordinators for 2012

December 21, 2011 By 7 Comments

The Cubs announced their 2012 Minor League managers, coaching staffs and coordinators on Wednesday.

Dave Bialas moved from minor league field coordinator to manager of the Iowa Cubs. The I-Cubs will also have a new hitting coach. Dave Keller, who was on Mike Quade’s staff last season will replace Von Joshua as Iowa’s hitting coach.

Jeff Fassero received a promotion to the Double-A Tennessee Smokies. Fassero was pitching coach in Peoria last year.

The Cubs also shifted Bill Dancy for the third season in a row. After be named Southern League manager of the year for the Double-A Smokies in 2010, Dancy was the I-Cubs manager last season. Dancy will be the Cubs minor league infield coordinator in 2012 replacing Dave Bialas.

The Cubs created a new position … short-season minor league hitting coordinator. Tom Beyers will handle the duties and focus on players in Boise, rookie ball in Mesa and both of the Dominican clubs.

The biggest name added to the Cubs’ minor league staffs is Bill Buckner. While the Cubs have not officially announced hiring the former Cubs outfielder and first baseman, according to multiple reports Buckner will be the hitting coach for the Boise Hawks.

Here is a complete list of the Cubs’ Minor League Coaches and Coordinators … Iowa Cubs – Triple-A
Dave Bialas – Manager
Mike Mason – Pitching Coach
Dave Keller – Hitting Coach
Nick Frangella – Athletic Trainer

Tennessee Smokies – Double-A
Buddy Bailey – Manager
Jeff Fassero – Pitching Coach
Mariano Duncan – Hitting Coach
Aaron Larson – Athletic Trainer

Daytona Cubs – High Class-A
Brian Harper – Manager
Marty Mason – Pitching Coach
Desi Wilson – Hitting Coach
Peter Fagan – Athletic Trainer

Peoria Chiefs – Low Class-A
Casey Kopitzke – Manager
Tom Pratt - Pitching Coach
Barbaro Garbey – Hitting Coach
Shane Nelson – Athletic Trainer

Boise Hawks – Short-Season Class-A
Mark Johnson – Manager
David Rosario – Pitching Coach
Bill Buckner – Hitting Coach
Bob Grimes – Athletic Trainer

Mesa Cubs – Rookie Ball
Bobby Mitchell - Manager
Frank Castillo and Rick Tronerud – Pitching Coach
Jason Dubois – Hitting Coach
Steve Melendez – Athletic Trainer

Dominican (1) – Rookie Ball
Juan Cabreja – Manager
Anderson Tavares – Pitching Coach
Ricardo Medina and Leo Perez – Hitting Coach
Wilken Perez – Athletic Trainer

Dominican (2) – Rookie Ball
Yudith Ozorio – Manager
Leo Hernandez – Pitching Coach
Franklin Blanco – Hitting Coach
Robert Jimenez – Athletic Trainer

Minor League Coordinators
Brandon Hyde – Minor League Field Coordinator
Dennis Lewallyn – Minor League Pitching Coordinator
James Rowson – Minor League Hitting Coordinator
Tom Beyers – Short-Season Minor League Hitting Coordinator
Bill Dancy – Minor League Infield Coordinator
Carmelo Martinez – Latin American Field Coordinator
Marty Pevey – Minor League Catching Coordinator
Lee Tinsley – Minor League Outfield/Baserunning Coordinator
Doug Jarrow – Minor League Strength and Conditioning Coordinator
Justin Sharpe – Minor League Athletic Training Coordinator
Chuck Baughman – Minor League Rehabilitation Coordinator

Minor League Managers and Coaches – Official Release from Cubs.com
Minor League Coordinators – Official Release from Cubs.com

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  • paulcatanese

    Glad to see the Cubs bring Buckner back, good guy who has had to live a lifetime with that groundball. He will do a great job.

    • cubtex

      Classy guy…….and he was a hell of a hitter!

  • SuzyS

    Just saw Frank Castillo will be a pitching coach in rookie ball at Mesa.
    I always liked him and wondered what happened to him.

  • Tom U

    Continuity looks like it was a deciding factor, as Bailey will be following many of his Florida State League Champion players up in Double-A. 

    Daytona will benefit offensively with the addition of Harper, who did a masterful job managing the roster of the Southern League runner-up Tennessee Smokies,  

    And Boise, who looks like they will be loaded with offensive talent, will have a former batting champ in Buckner to guide them.

    • Anthony

      great observation Tom

      the soon to be AA guys from Daytona will have that benefit of familiarity, and some expected players to be assigned to Daytona, if their bats catch up to the rest of their games, may open some eyes

      Buck working with the kids is a great move and if some of his past polish rubs off on some of them(and they should feel lucky), then it could accelerate development.

      As much doom and gloom that is posted about the situation and purging of the Cubs, these instructors, and a 1st full season for the 2011 draft crop is positive and promising.

      I feel the “top prospect” list will change dramatically after the 2012 season, new and unexpected faces will arise and start opening eyes, and stalled experienced minor leaguers will fall to attrition.

  • Aaron

    Wow…was browsing a Reds site, and they had a rumor that Travis Webb and Kevin Coddington were the guys heading over. If that’s the case, I want a mulligan on the Epstein/Hoyer hires.

    If you look at some of the other posts by Reds fans, they think they basically should get Marshall for free…there’s a few level headed ones that have described how Reds fans bitched about dealing Kearns and Felipe Lopez away at one point as travesties, and how bad they’ve turned out.

    We, as Cubs fans do the same…I’m guilty of that…but with one caveat…I try to always put it in context (ie.-not some blanket statement that our prospects will all be stars, but rather I say, if it happens to apply, that they’re better than what we currently have).

    At any rate, there’s another rumor floating around that it was just Wood and Billy Hamilton.

    I hope it’s Wood, H. Rodriguez and Corcino, but I doubt that would happen. Hell, I’d be happy with Wood, and just one of the other two.

    Reds fans are being absolutely unreasonable about this. I realize they’re thinking it’s the Cubs they’re dealing with after all…but Marshall really was the most valuable lefty reliever last year, and he’s still relatively young, and even has starting AND closing experience (albeit limited in the latter department). If Adams was worth 2 top 20 prospects (1 top 5), then Marshall is worth at least that….and if Wood was in the minors right now, he wouldn’t even crack the Reds’ top 20 list….Furthermore, since the Cubs are dealing within the division….as is customary, it SHOULD cost the Reds more…

    • Tony_Hall

      Aaron the Reds fans are being as ridiculous as most of the Cubs fans on the other end.

      We want their best prospects and a 24  LH starting pitcher, who has already had success at the major league level.  They don’t want to give up any more of their best prospects, to fill in their bullpen.

      We all know it is a work in progress for young pitchers and if Wood is able to limit his bad games to a smaller percentage of his starts, then he will be a good starter for us in 2012, let alone in the future.  But that is why we are getting prospects back.  Marshall is already a good set-up guy, but that is all Marshall is, a left handed set-up guy.